Early in the development of Adam Guettel and Craig Lucas’ extraordinary The Light in the Piazza it was thought that Chicago Lyric Opera might be tendering a commission for the piece. It wasn’t to be. Broadway beckoned. But this most sophisticated of hybrids has a foot in both worlds and the presence of RENÉE FLEMING in the London Premiere of the piece is testament to its uniqueness – a free-flowing lyric seductiveness that is all about the intoxication of love amidst the statues and squares of Florence, Italy.

During a break in rehearsals for Daniel Evans’ Southbank staging EDWARD SECKERSON spoke exclusively to the celebrated opera diva about Piazza, Guettel, the legacy of his grandfather Richard Rodgers, the crossing of musical genres, the celebration of vocal diversity, and the magic of the microphone in facilitating a more confidential tone.